Process and apparatus for supplying sand to grading apparatus



NOV, 1, 1, SODERBERG ESS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING SAND TO GRADING APPARATUS PROC 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 @XMK RAW/X@ Filed July 8, 1927 Nov. l, 1932. 1,885,775

PROCESS AND APPARATUS PoR SUPPLYINGSAND To GRADING APPARATUS J. SODERBERG Filed July e,- 192? 5 sneefsheevt 2 INVENTOR Nov. l, 1932. 4. soDERBERG PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING SAND TO GRADING APPARATUS Filed July 8. 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 gif@ die@ t NOV. 1, 1 SODERBERG 1,885,775

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING SAND TO GRADING APPARATUS Filed July 8, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 NOV. l, 1932. 1 SQDERBERG l885,775

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING SAND TO GRADING APPARATUS Filed Jly 8, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR 22M @i wf v tion at the top of Patented Nov. 1, 1932 JACOB SODERBERG, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANA, ASSGNOB TO EITTSBURGH PLATE GLASSCOMPANY, A COBORATON OF `PENNSYLViNIA PROCESS .AND` APPARATUS 'FOB' Application filed i July 8,`

' The invention relates to a process and apparatus forsupplying sand to grading appa-7 rat-us, and is des'ignedfor use primarily in connection with glass grinding apparatus, requiring a. continuous supply of sand for use as an abrasive. The invention has forits pri mary objects the provision of an improved apparatus; which can be operated economically to supply large quantities of` sand;

. which is reliable and requires little attention on the part of the operators in charge of the grinding machine; in `which provision is made to avoid any clogging and consequent stoppage of the feed of the abrasive in which the degree of opening of the control vvalve is indicated at a point remote therefrom, and in which the' valve may be controlled from suchpoint;l in which the feed of sand'past the icontrol valve is constant anduniform';

AI and which has a'reliable regulating means f or the water level in the storage tank. One

embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings,"wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view. diagrammatic in' part of the apparatus with thel grinding mechanism omitted. Fig. Qis fa section on the line Ill-ll of Fig. 1 with the grinding mechanism shown. Fig. Sis a section on the line III-lll of 1, also showing the grinding mechanism. Fig. 4f is a vertical sec* tion on an enlarged scale through the outlet from the storage tank. Fig. 5 is a front elevation, partially in section'of the controlling apparatus for the valve of Fig. fi. Fig. 6 is an enlarged section through the valve 57, such valve beingY shown inl neutral position.v Fig. 7 is a detail sectionshowing a modification. And Fig. Sis an enlarged detailsecthe storage tank showing the means for maintaining a constant level in such tank. v

The particular grinding mechanism with which the apparatus is used isof the straight i away type involving the use of the grinding machines 1, 2, 3,- etc., arrangedin two series (Figs. 2 and 3) along the tracks 4 and 5. The grinding tables 6, 6, 6, etc., Vwhich carry the glass are mounted upon these tracks and y p move slowlyY beneath these grinding machines. During this movement, abrasive is plicates throughout so SUPPLYING SAND T0 GRADING APPARATUS i927. semi ne; 204,229.

supplied to the machines froml the grading tank 7 this being accomplished by the use of suitable conduits, not shown. The grading tank is supplied with a mixture of sand and water from the sump 8 by means of one of the duplicate motor driven pumps 9, which Withdraws-the mixture of sand and water from the sump and carries it up through the pipe 10.' Extending Ylongitudinally beneath the tracks 4 and 5 are the troughs 11, 11, which receive the used. abrasive and water from the grinding operation and conduct it back to the sump 8. The foregoing is all old and wellknownv in the art and the present invention has to do with the apparatus and process for supplying new abrasive to the sump 8. This supply vof new abrasive is necessary to take the place of the abrasive which is worn out and lost during the grinding operation.

The source of supply of the'sand in the present instanceV is the stream 12 alongside of which is located the concrete bin 13, having a hopper bottom 14,.at one end of Vwhich is located the pump 15 driven by the motor 16 and servingrto withdraw a'niixture of sand and water from the bin through the intake pipe 17 of the pump. Sand is suppliedto the bin 1i from the barge 18 by any suitable means, not shown such as a crane which oper? ates a suitable clam shell digging bucket. The binmay also be supplied from the bank of sand 19 which has been collected along the shore of the stream. The sand, which is pumped from the bin by the pump 15, is delivered through the pipe 2O to the two storage tanks 2l, 21. These storage tanks and the feed apparatus connected therewith are diithat a description of one will be suiiicient for both. Leading from the bottom of the tank 21 are four outlet passages 22, 22, 22, 2Q. As later described,

each of these .outlets is provided with a suiti ablexvalve and controlling means and ultimately discharges to one of the pipes Q3, 23, 23 and 23 leading to the trough 11.V kThese discharge? passage-s and the controlling means arethesame in eachcase, so 'that a description of one will be suiiicient. The four pipesl are used in order to give the necessary capacity to meet all conditions, but it will be understood that a single passage might be employed, and ordinarily only one ofthe passages is employed, the capacity of one of such passages having been found suiicient to meet most requirements. A description of one of the pipes and its control mechanism will, therefore, be suiicient for all.

rllhe construction of one of the outlets and its cont-rolling means will be best seen byv refeieiice to Fig. 4. Secured to vthe casting 24 at the bottom of the tank is a valve casing 25 in which is mounted the plug valve 26. This valve is ordinarily full open, and is only closed when it is desired to entirely shut down the outlet through the passage. Bolted to the bottom of the casing 25 is a casting 27', which has an opening through one side closed by the cover plate 28 held in position by a loop' 29 extending around the casting and carrying the screw 30 for forcing the cover tightly into position. This serves as-a clean out means in case the outlet should become clogged, as bya pebble or other obstruction. .Be-low the casting 27 is a rubber tube 3l discharging into the Y casing 32, to which the pipe 23 is connected.

Surrounding the tubeV and clamping its upper end against the flange of the casting 27 is the casing 33, which carries the controlling means for tliiottliiig the tube. This controlling means comprises aclamp member 34 einV tending around the tube and a movable plate 35 which is adapted to be moved inward vto collapse the tube by means ofthe screw 36. This screw 3G is threaded through the boss 37 on the member 34 and is swiveled to the left hand end of the casing 33 by means of the nut 38. By turning the screw, the plate 35 may be moved inward and so regulate the volume of water and sand passing through the tube 3l. In order to start the flow of sand and water from the bottom of the tank 2l after sand has been settled therein,the water supply pipe 39 is provide-d, having the branches 40, 40, etc., leading into the lower end of the tank and the branches 4l, 4l, etc. leading into the casings 25. Suitable valves permit the opening and as conditions may require.

A spray pipe 42 is also providedfor each of the casings 32 for Washing the abrasive along the pipe 23,A

such pipe being supplied from the pipe 43. Y

The tube 3l must be regulated in accordance with the amount ofvnew abrasive required in the system and this; is determined by the grades in the tank or cone 7. These grades are withdrawn and tested from time to time as the grinding progresses and, if t-hese determinations indicate that there is not enough of certain grades of abrasive in the system, the tubes 3l are opened up slightly to give a greater flow deficiency. 0n the other hand, if the determinations show that there isv too great an amount of certain grades in the system, the

tube 3l is collapsed toreduce the amount of closing of the pipes and thus supply theV new abrasive fed into the system. As a matter of convenience, it is desirable that the opening and closing of the tubes 31 shall be accomplished from the vicinity of the grading cone 7 and to this end the apparatus shown in Fig. 5 is provided. The end of the screw shaft 36, which controls the position Vof the plate 35 carries a spur Wheel 44 and this spur wheel is adapted to be rotated back and forth by means of the pawls 45 and 46 which are hydraulically controlled by the actuation of the valve 47 which is located adjacent the bottom of the cone 7. The pawls 45 and 46 are carried by the connecting rods 48 and 49 mounted upon the hollow plungers 50 and 5l. vThe cylinders 52 and 53 in which the plungers are mounted have their upper ends connected tothe pipe 54 leading to the water supply pipe 43, so that normally the plungers are both held in bottom position. Pressure to move the plungersup is supplied through the pipes 55, 58 leading to thevalve casing 57, which carries the valve 47. Leading from this valve casing is an exhaust pipe 58, with which the pipes 55 and 56 may be connected, dependingV upon the position of the valve 47. Pressure is supplied tothe pipes 55 and 56, depending upon the position of the valve 47from the pipe 59, which is in turn connected to the supply pipe 39. When the handle of the valve 47 is moved tothe position shown, pressure is supplied beneath the plunger 5,0, while the liquid beneath the plunger 51 is exhausted through the pipes 56 and 58. This gives the screw shaft 36 a movement in one direction. If it is desired to give it another step of movement in theV same direction, the handle 60 is brought to vertical position, thus bringing the valve to the position shown in Fig. 6, at which time, both of the pipes .55 and 56 are brought into communication with the exhaust pipe 58, so that the pressure from the pipe 54 on th-e upper sides of the plungers 50 and 5l causes them to move to bottom position. If now the handle 60. .1s again moved to the position shown in Fig. 5, the spur wheel 44 is given another movement of rotation. When it is desired to reverse the direction of rotation of the wheel 44, the handle 6() is swung to vertical position andv ythennmoved still farthery to the left.

The plunger 50 is thus moved down and the plunger 5l moves up, giving the Wheel 44 a' movement of rotation inV a-clockwise ,direction. This may be repeated'by swinging the handle 60 back and forth from its left hand Vposition to its cent-ral position, Vuntil the desired'defrree of adjustment is secured. In order that the pawl which is not in service shall be -out of engagement with the spur wheel 44, the rollers 6l, 62 are provided, so positioned, as indicated in Fio'. 5that when the connecting rod is in lowered position, thel pawl will be cammed outward, so that it is free from the wheel 44. The device shown in the upper portion of F 5 is an indicator which is designed to show the operator the degree of opening of the tube 31. This indicator' comprises a spur wheel 63 having a pointer 64 working over the scale 65. This device is calibrated so that the position of the pointer indicates the degree of opening of the tube 31. The wheel 63 is operated by the pawis 66 and 67 connected to the links 68 and 69, such links being connected to arms projecting laterally from the end of the valve 47. T he back and forth movement of the handle from the center position to side position rotates the wheel 63 and this direction of rotation depends upon the direction in which the handle is swung from the center position. The pointer 64 can, therefor-e, be made to assume a position corresponding to the degree of opening of the tube 31. The spur wheels 44 and 63 are each provided with indexing means in the form of the spring pressed members and 71. Y

In order to maintain the level of the liquid -in the storage tank 21 constant, the controlling device shown in Fig.` 8 is used. This consists of a ball ioat 72 arrangedto operate a valve in the valve casing 73, This controls the supply of water throughV the pipe 74 leading from a water supply main. W'hen the level in the tank 21 drops below a certain point, the valve in the casing 7 3 is opened, admitting water until it reaches the level shown, at which time the valve is closed by the float. The float is located inside a cylindrical casing 75 and the-pipe 74 discharges into this casing.V This is a desirable arrangement as the inflowing water from the pipe 7 4 constantly cleans out the casing and washes away any sand which might otherwise collect around the float. The casing also prevents sand from working'V upward beneath the float and preventing its operation. The storage tank 21 will hold enough sand to supply the necessary abrasive for a long period and is, therefore, only filled at intervals. After it is once filled and while it is being emptied, it is desirable that the water pressure in theY tank should remain constant so that the feed from the bottom of the tank will be constant. The means for maintaining av constant level of water in the tank performs this function so that the feed is more certain and uniform under these conditions of constant head pressure.

In order to remove gravel and other foreign matter not suitable for grading, the pipek 'i Q0 leading from the bin 14 is made to discharge through the rotary screens 76 and 77. such screens being driven through suitable gearing from one of the duplicate motors 7 8 and 79. A similar rotary screenSOV receives the flow of water and abrasive lfrom the drain troughs V11, such screens being rotated by means of suitable gearing from the vi-notors 80 and 81..;M The overflowwater from thestorage 21, 21 is conducted back to the bin 14 by means of thefpipes '84 and 85.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modification of the agrrangement at the lower end :of the tank 21, .the flexible tube 31a Vin this case discharging into :a trough 8.,^which takes the place of the pipe 23rd the F 4` construction. The pipe 42a supplies the necessaryrwater for washing the sand along the trough and into the trough 1v1..V The trough 82 has a removable cov-er 83. This construction hasthe advantage 'that it permits the attendant to observe the actnal condition of the mixture which is being discharged from .the storage tank and permits Vhimto know definitely that there has been no `s :toppage inthe outlet. However, the construction of Fig. 4, in which the ldis-v chargevis lthrough the"pipe 23, has a conipensatin-gadvantageover that of Fig. 7;in that :the dow. throughysuch pipe may be stopped .and :started by'manipulatingthe valve 84a controlling the water supply to the pipe 42. When this valve is closed, the sand quickly iills'np the casing32 and: shuts off the supply of sand, whichcan be started again by opening the valve 84a. This valve is located adiacent the, control valve 47 (Fig. 2), so that the feed'of'sand from the storage tank 21 can be stopped and started from this point without changing the position of adjustment of the clamping means 34,y 35 Vfor the rubber tube 31.

What I claim is Y 1. In combination in apparatus for supplying sand to a grading tank, a storage tank having a hopper bottom, means for supplying water with sand in suspension therein to the tank, means for supplying an additional flow of water to the tank, meansl regulated by the level of the water in the tank for governing such flow, an outlet from said botp tom provided with flow regulating means, a sump below the storage tank to which the discharge from said outlet is conducted, and means for continuously supplying the mixture of sand and water in the sump to the grading tank.

ioo

2. In combination in apparatus for supplyp located adjacent `the grading tank and operated by the means which controls the power means.

3. In combination in apparatus for supplying sand to a ygrading system, a storage tank having an outlet at its lower end, means for supplying a mixture of sand and water to the tank, a casing atvthe upper end of the tank extending downwardly into the water in thev tank and open at its lower end, a conduit for supplying water into said casing, a valve 1 1n the conduit, and a float in the casing for operating said valve.

4. In combination in apparatus for supplying sand to a grading tank, a Storage tank having a hopper bottom, means for supplying a mixture of sand and water to the tank at intervals, a sump below the storage tank, an outlet from said bottom provided with a regulating valve, means for conducting the mixture from said outlet to the sump, means 20 forsupplying the mixture in the sump to the grading tank, a supplemental water supply for said storage tank, and automatic means regulating said supply and adapted to maintain the level of the water in thestorage tank constant. Y Y l In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this twenty-eighth day of J une, 1927. Y

JACOB SODERBERG. 

